Servers, servers, servers

This morning, I arrived to work early because I had an 8am call to discuss efforts to reduce the environmental impact of our data centers. Every time I'm pulled into these conversations, I realize just how little I know. There's discussion about servers, heating, cooling, racks, PUE ratios and other nonsense and I sort of listen in and offer my very limited opinion.

And now, everyone around me is talking about our servers because our e-mail system is down! I cannot send or receive e-mail messages right now, so I'm sort of hanging out, blogging and surfing the internets. I wonder what I should have for lunch.

Celeb sighting: Drag Race

While getting sunburned at the Pride festivities yesterday, Puppy, Roommates A&J and I saw the diminutive Ongina from Ru Paul's Drag Race! She was in a booth, signing photographs and posing for pictures, but since we didn't want to stand in line, we just peeked at her from around the corner.

Hunting

This morning, I spotted a spider on the ceiling, so I waved it down with a piece of cardboard and let Stefano DiMera at it! I'm not at all fond of spiders and I hate to go near them at all, so it was nice to watch Stefano chase it around, bat at it and gobble it up!

Pride in the mirror

So, Michael Jackson died unexpectedly and that's truly sad, but couldn't this have happened after pride weekend? I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but last night, when Puppy, Roommates A&J and I were out and about in the 'stro, every single bar was playing MJ hits from the past. One song is fine. Two, even. But after 10 songs, the "tribute" turns tired and I just want to hear something more current! I wish Farrah Fawcett had released a single or two, just for some variety.

Only five?

Instead of going into the office today, four members of my team at work gathered at a local hotel for a "teambuilding" workshop. The session was based on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a "corporate fable" (WTF?) that describes executives at a fictional company who try to work more effectively together.

Like most business books, this one seems all common sensey to me, but this one wasn't such a bad read. So, basically we spent the day digging deep and getting vulnerable and giving each other the "gift" of feedback. Surprisingly, it went more harmoniously than I anticipated and I didn't want to stab my eyes out with the marks-a-lot pens or bang my head against the flip charts.

Tomorrow is day two of our offsite, but it will focus more on things we need to get accomplished. Sadly, tomorrow's agenda is in my hands and I have to facilitate. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to go, but my hope is that it will go quickly so we can all leave early for the weekend!

Special delivery

The other day, I picked up two parcels from the Post Office and was thrilled to see that my purchases from the Pan-African Market had arrived! I had totally written them off, so this made me very happy.

Expecting that some of my purchases would not have survived the journey across the sea, I braced myself as I unwrapped the packages. In the first package, I found my beloved wooden giraffe, wrapped in soft padding and duct tape. When it was fully unwrapped, I realized that the legs had snapped off, but strangely, I couldn't find the legs and the stand.

Until I unwrapped the second package, that is. It turns out that the geniuses who packaged my goods snapped the giraffe in two pieces and shipped them to me in separate packages! It was simply astounding.

Going meatless

Since I moved into my new home, I've been doing a little home entertaining and awakening my inner Barefoot Contessa. It's been fun having my friends over for dinner and exploring recipes.

Last night, however, posed an interesting challenge. What do you make when someone is a vegetarian? Well, fortunately, Hellenica is mostly vegetarian. She also eats fish, which is a new development since our college days. She, Linda and Linda's husband joined Puppy and me for a fun Monday meal of salad (with salmon), mac & cheese (thank goodness no one is vegan) and a "Greek caponata," which was a medley of summer squashes all roasted together.

I was suspicious of the caponata, but it turned out to be my favorite part of the meal ... until Hellenica broke out her mini "coconut cream pies." Unlike normal pies, these were the raw version, meaning that none of the ingredients had been heated over some specific temperature - a detail that I don't really care about. In any case, we were kind of skeptical, but they turned out to be quite yummy and they tasted sort of decadent!

Of course, Hellenica had to go to a lot of trouble to make the little buggers. Apparently, she made date paste and some other coconut product that were unavailable at the grocery store. But in the end, we all enjoyed the mostly vegetarian feast.

Southern bellessssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Selives turned me onto the show Southern Belles: Louisville, which has become such a snorefest. Save for the one episode where viewers inferred that Kellie's marriage disintegrated due to the fact that she shoveled so much cocaine up her nose that she miscarried, this show has been so dull and uneventful. Yet, I continue to watch, hoping for another fine moment of schadenfreude. I hope there aren't many more episodes left so that I can let go...

So much better without you

Even though I feel like I wasted two hours of my life this weekend watching High School Musical 2, I kinda, sorta, really enjoy this Ashley Tisdale song:

Kitty 1, Vacuum 0

Last week, Puppy discovered that the power cord to my little dustbuster had been chewed through! It seems that Stefano DiMera decided that his nemesis should die.

Stefano was never a fan of the dustbuster, and I would sometimes turn it on near him whenever he needed punishing (attacking the houseplants, scratching the furniture, etc.). But it looks like he got the last laugh and my poor dustbuster will never power up again.

I kind of hope Stefano got a little shock when he bit through it.

BurbBQ

Last week, I accompanied Charlotte York to an after-work BBQ, hosted by one of the VPs at my former company. At first, I was reluctant to go since I, you know, left the company and everything, but I wanted to see Charlotte York and it was a good chance to catch up with some old collagues.

So, after work, we hitched a ride with one of my former teammates and braved the rush hour traffic down to San Bruno. Arriving with beer and cake, we were greeted with a lovely spread of hors d'oeuvres and I immediately dove into the guacamole!

Our host and her husband had the grill fired up and prepared a feast of spicy chicken drumsticks and a really nice chateaubriand. There was a wonderful fruit salad, three different cakes for dessert and a pretty incredible view of Mt. Tam!

But mostly, it was really nice to reconnect with friends and former co-workers. It made me realize how much I miss working with a team of fun, kind-hearted people and made me feel a little sad that, although I enjoy my current work, whenever I leave my present company I probably won't have the great friends I made at my last job.

Better than your average bear

Last week, I discovered sour gummy bears and since this discovery, I have invested in three packages. I love the flavor and texture more than sour patch kids, but dang, these are addictive little creatures!

Gay through the ages

Last night, a bunch of us went to support our friend Elizabeth Taylor in a production of Some Men, a play all about gayness and relationships and some politics that spans approximately 50 or 60 years. It was a cute play with some very funny moments, but it was so long! Two-and-a-half hours!

Since it was essentially a series of vignettes (with some characters showing up again here and there), I felt like it could use a little pruning. Maybe skip the Harlem gays or cut out the gays with the baby.

But overall, it was fun to do something a little different and neat to see a friend on stage. How he manages to juggle a play with his day job is way beyond me. Maybe he cuts out his television time, a sacrifice if ever there is one.

Evacuation drill

This morning, my office building conducted an evacuation drill, where all building tenants had to use the emergency stairwell to exit the building and meet at the designated "safe place" across the street.

I didn't think much of it, but descending 32 floors is more work than you'd think. Circling down all those stairs made me dizzy and my legs were pretty shaky by the time I reached the ground! Man, I'm in bad, bad shape!

It's Sonic good

On our way back from Calistoga on Sunday, we stopped at a Sonic drive-in, the first I've ever patronized. Since we were stuffed from a hearty breakfast, we really just pulled in for the novelty, more than anything.

It was a cute concept, where you pull into a stall, bark your order at a menu and wait for the teenaged Latina to deliver your food to you wearing a brightly colored outfit and roller skates.

I ordered a Sonic Blast with Reese's peanut butter cups and it was ... disappointing. There was far too much artificial whipped cream and it sort of made me sick. It surely didn't help that I wasn't at all hungry.

Puppy assures me that the Sonic I experienced was a bastardized version of the original concept, since this outpost had both an indoor seating area and a drive-thru. Mayhaps I'll give it another try, since they do serve tater tots.

To the dogs

The Communist's wedding on Saturday was a very fun affair. It was a gorgeous day and the winery where the ceremony and reception were held was the perfect venue.

The ceremony lasted all of 10 minutes, with explicit instructions to hit the bar afterward. So we did. Very early in the day. This would explain why, a few hours later, I found myself "wedding drunk" on the bus back into town before 10pm.

But between the time that the ceremony concluded and the moment I ushered myself away, there were a few choice moments, like:

* When the band played "Don't Stop Believin'" and everyone belted out the song in unison.
* The spontaneous mosh pit and crowd surfing.
* The discovery that one of the attendant dogs had taken a bite out of the wedding cake. The evidence? Two dirty paw prints on the white table linens.
* When the same dog, blind due to cataracts, was gently nudged by a car and scampered out of the way.

It was a fun, festive occasion and a nice little weekend getaway!

Small town Saturday

Puppy and I are spending the hours before this evening's wedding exploring the Calistoga sights. We somehow managed to wake up early and go for a run (something I don't really do, so I'm quite proud of myself) and along the way we saw Calistoga's Old Faithful geyser, squirting above the trees. We also nearly ran over a snake, but fortunately we dodged it and swerved into traffic instead!

Post-run, we walked through downtown Calistoga, ran into Policy Wonkette, had a pleasant meal and did some wine tasting. All before 1pm! Now it's time to lie out by the pool.

Wedding weekender

Puppy and I are heading up to Calistoga this evening for The Communist's wedding. Attire is "country chic." I'm not sure I'll be able to fulfill my sartorial expectations.

Work drag

Whenever I run into people from my nightlife escapades and I'm in a work context, I usually feel like I have to apologize for my boring work attire. This morning, I did a double-take when I saw this girl I know on the street. She looks remarkably like Whitney Port from The City and every time I see her out, I have to remind myself that her name is not Whitney. Apparently, she gets this all the time.

Non-Whitney works at a salon and was all dressed fashion-like. And while we chatted, I felt so self-conscious, frumpy and corporate, and I had to keep myself from apologizing out loud.

Life would be so much easier if drunkytimes and workytimes never intersected.

Law school

The world of big law is pretty much a mystery to me. All the firms are strings of names and they all sound the same to my untrained ear. I know that some are more respected and more prestigious than others and that one is nicknamed MoFo, but that's about the extent of my knowledge.

So, last night when I was at dinner with two lawyers, both employed by firms, I found myself struggling to understand whey they were both so shocked by certain news and why other gossip was interesting. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to catch up with both these old friends, but I just couldn't partake in the "Ohmigod, I can't believe that [insert stuffy sounding names here] is your opposing counsel!"

The birds

Apparently, this is happening a few blocks away from where I work:I shall avoid that intersection.

Witless wireless

I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with our IT help desk, trying to figure out why my wireless card wasn't picking up any signals. For the past few weeks, I haven't been able to connect from work, from hotel rooms or from my home. It hasn't really been a problem, but it's sort of annoying to ask hotels for an internet cable in this day when most places have wireless available.

My friendly Latin help desk guy took control of my computer and ran through various diagnostics, trying to figure out what was broken. Finally, he directed me to look at the side of my laptop and alerted me to a little switch that apparently turns the wireless on and off! In my travels, it apparently had switched to the off position. I felt so dumb.

Barack Opanda

Cousin Lotus alerted me to this very important art project.

Dinnertime duel

If you go to an authentic Chinese restaurant seeking good service, you'll be sorely disappointed. I know this from years and years of firsthand experience, where members of my extended family crowd around a circular table with a lazy susan atop it, rotating food choices around.

Last night, fifteen of my family members went to one such establishment, and somehow I ended up sitting at the end where the waiters and waitresses served food onto the lazy susan and where they removed used dishes from the wheel. One waitress in particular showed no regard for the fact that she kept forcing her way in-between people, often resulting in an elbow to the side of my cousin's head. At one point, she also bonked another cousin's head with a large soup bowl.

Usually, I oblige the waitstaff and lean out of their way whenever they come through, but after several rude intrusions, I decided to stand my ground. When the waitress came through to clear some dishes, she leaned in against me, but I refused to budge.

I'm a pretty big guy, so it wasn't too hard to stay upright, but then she took her hand and started pushing me away. Still, I remained steadfast and refused to relinquish my space. Finally, just as it was getting awkward, she eeked out a soft, "Excuse!" and I relented.

I made her say, "Excuse!" It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Birthgay party

Saturday was Gymnocent's birthday, so Puppy and I hiked up a big hill to help him celebrate. He claims that he forgot it was his birthday, so it was sort of a last-minute gathering of all the gays he knows in the city.

As his pseudonym implies, Gymnocent spends a lot of time concerned about fitness, and the majority of the party-goers also were in relatively good shape. Hence, the majority of conversation centerd around "Which gym do you go to?" and we compared experiences with various gyms around the city. Totes gay.

Not so gay was the fact that the party hosts seemed to neglect to buy alcohol, mixers or ice! Puppy and I came armed with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of soda, which was consumed very quickly. Toward the end of the party, someone came with a bottle of fernet, and in my inebriated state, I decided it would be the perfect drink (since there was nothing left). Needless to say, it was a bad idea, sending me quickly to bed.

Curb your pet

The other day, I entered my gym's lobby and saw a petite woman in her cute Juicy Couture sweats, her big sunglasses, oversized purse and kicky heels standing with a mangy little chihuahua-type thing. Another woman was recoiling, fanning the air in front of her face and making a disgusted face. Lady with dog was apologizing profusely.

At first, I thought the second lady was allergic to dogs, but then the overwhelmingly grotesque smell hit me. The little rat-dog had pooped on the ground! At the gym! And the dog-lady had no plastic bag or any other means to clean up her pooch's mess. Sick.

National Donut Day

Thank goodness there's no Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts near my workplace! Apparently, it's National Donut Day (as if America needs a day to celebrate donuts) and several retailers are giving away free donuts today.

Aren't we fat enough already?

What's wrong with my bloody dresses?

I watched the first two episodes of Beautiful People last night and fell in love with the show. One of those British exports, I probably understand only 1/3 of the dialogue, but it's enough to make me laugh out loud.

So far, I've found the blind aunt to be my favorite character. I can totally relate to her, convincing people that she's on a diet, then secretly inhaling a burger when no one's around!

A Starr is born

As one of the three people on this planet watching the current, Ricki Lake-hosted season of Charm School, I feel compelled to mention that I've been thinking of one of the contestants a lot recently. Brittaney Starr is a (former?) porn star who seems so astoundingly clueless and dumb that it's gone from comical to painful.

In one episode, she manages to let two of the other girls lock her in the bathroom for about an hour. In another, she wears ginormous pink headphones as an accessory and wonders why people think she's not listening to them.

But on the most recent episode, when they had to play with kids, one of them described the best part of his day as "playing ball with the old lady!" Oh, I die! I wish I could have seen her reaction when she watched that bit.

Another one bites the dust

Yesterday, our admin told me that she'd be leaving our department next month. Apparently, while I was out of the office last week, our boss let her know that it "wasn't working out."

This is the third admin that I've known in our department in the 11 months that I've been at this company. Does no one else find it suspicious that none of these women are able to make this position "work out"?